| | | | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Garrett Ross | Presented by |  | | | SCOTUS SIREN — Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL always keeps his eye on the ball. On Hugh Hewitt's show this morning, he said keeping Justice ANTONIN SCALIA'S seat open in the last year of the Obama administration "is the single most consequential thing I've done in my time as majority leader of the Senate." He said he'd do the same thing for an opening in 2024. And he's only going to get tougher: When Hewitt asked if a mainstream nominee would get a fair shot at a hearing for a 2023 vacancy, McConnell said "we'd have to wait and see what happens." Listen to the full interview — NBC's @sahilkapur: "He is betting that Democrats won't do anything to retaliate when they have power. So far that bet is paying off." BIDEN ABROAD — A few bites from the beginning of the NATO summit, as we await more info and readouts later today, via pooler Josh Wingrove of Bloomberg: "President [JOE] BIDEN entered the room and walked around the length of the table. He fist-bumped Romanian President KLAUS IOHANNIS in a brief greeting, and later spoke with BORIS JOHNSON and NATO Deputy Secretary General MIRCEA GOEANA. "Biden also spoke somewhat at length with Turkey's [RECEP TAYYIP] ERDOGAN, in a group of roughly half a dozen people, before JENS STOLTENBERG came over and the two of them then took their seats. Biden sat between Johnson and Stoltenberg. France's EMMANUEL MACRON then came over and leaned in to speak with Biden." — The NYT got a copy of the summit communiqué leaders are approving today: "[It] deals explicitly with China's military ambitions for the first time … But while Russia is described as a 'threat' to NATO, China is described as presenting 'challenges.'" Plus: "NATO to tackle climate change for first time, summit communique to say," Reuters — New sheriff in town: Biden said in brief public remarks with Stoltenberg that "Article 5, we take as a sacred obligation." AHEAD OF THE PUTIN SUMMIT … "Biden preparing intensely for Putin's tactics with aides and allies," by CNN's Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly, Jeff Zeleny, Kaitlan Collins and Natasha Bertrand: "He has held lengthy preparation sessions with senior officials, including Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN … The President has also asked foreign leaders at the G7, including German Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL, for their input … "[O]fficials want Biden to be prepared for [VLADIMIR] PUTIN'S tactics, including his well-known habit of turning discussions of Russia's bad practices back on the United States. Biden has told aides he believes Putin will respond to directness during their talks and wants to be ready to offer a frank message." — "U.S. officials worry about Russia's growing links to China," by Nahal Toosi: "U.S. wariness over the Russia-China relationship has grown to the point where high-level American strategists are weighing how to factor it in as they try to orient U.S. foreign policy to focus more on a rising China. President Joe Biden is expected to discuss Moscow's ties to Beijing during his Wednesday meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin." — The parents of TREVOR REED, an American imprisoned in Russia, told the "Today" show's Savannah Guthrie today that they hope Biden will push Putin to release him when they meet in person this week, now that Reed has been diagnosed with Covid-19. "We're very happy to hear that President Putin is open to a prisoner exchange and we hope that that's something that happens very soon," PAULA REED said. Watch the interview Good Monday afternoon. | | A message from Amazon: Watch what happened when Amazon raised their starting wage to $15/hr in 2018. | | | MORE SCOTUS — "Supreme Court effectively delays challenge to Harvard affirmative action policies for several months," CNN: "The high court issued an order asking the Biden Department of Justice to offer its views on the case." — "Supreme Court rejects retroactive sentence reductions for small amounts of crack cocaine," USA Today: "Several of the First Step Act's authors, including Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Ill., and Sen. CHUCK GRASSLEY, R-Iowa, told the court it was their intent to cover low-level offenders in [TARAHRICK] TERRY'S situation. But at a time when the court puts heavy emphasis on the text of a statute, both conservative and liberal justices wrestled to square that goal with the specific language." — "High court rejects 2 Virginia white nationalist rally cases," AP: "The Supreme Court is leaving in place the convictions of two men who as members of a white supremacist group participated in a white nationalist rally in Virginia in 2017 that turned violent." — "U.S. Supreme Court revives LinkedIn bid to shield personal data," Reuters FIRST PERSON — CNN'S BARBARA STARR: "I'm a journalist and the Trump administration tried to secretly obtain tens of thousands of my emails": "I don't know what the government was looking for when it snuck into my life. I am not the subject of an investigation and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing. But as a CNN journalist, myself and my newsroom clearly were being used as a tool by the Trump Justice Department. All of CNN is in this together. We have each other's back, always. … "I am genuinely horrified by what happened. … I wonder now, more than ever, what happens if those with power try to intimidate reporters whose small newsrooms, like mine in those days, can't afford legal teams to fight back. How then will the people in that small town even know about potential wrongdoing? Even if you don't like the news media, take notice: Secret Justice Department proceedings against the free press affect everyone in this country." MEANWHILE, AT DOJ — "Justice Dept. Official to Step Down Amid Uproar Over Leaks Inquiry," by NYT's Katie Benner: "JOHN DEMERS, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, is expected to step down at the end of next week … a departure that was arranged months ago … Mr. Demers was the longest-serving Senate-confirmed official from the Trump administration to remain at the Justice Department during the Biden presidency." — In a new statement today, A.G. MERRICK GARLAND said that he's referred the matter to the inspector general and asked the deputy A.G. to strengthen existing policies and procedures. | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO will feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2021 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators who are turning lessons learned from the past year into a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. Covid-19 threatened our health and well-being, while simultaneously leading to extraordinary coordination to improve pandemic preparedness, disease prevention, diversity in clinical trials, mental health resources, food access and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY to receive exclusive coverage from June 22-24. | | | | | THAT WAS FAST — "Boeing Restarts Donations to Members of the So-Called 'Sedition Caucus,'" by The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger: "After briefly swearing off political donations in the wake of the Capitol riot, Boeing is now throwing cash at officials who fought to overturn the results of the 2020 election." THE NEW GOP — Reps. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) and KAT CAMMACK (R-Fla.), along with Young America's Foundation, have created a new Campus Free Speech Caucus in the House. Announcement SWAMP READ — "Biden's vow to limit ethics conflicts finds a test case: the Ricchetti brothers," by WaPo's Michael Scherer and Sean Sullivan 2022 WATCH — "Florida civil rights attorney and legislator Michele Rayner to run for Crist's seat," by Gary Fineout in Tampa FASCINATING READ — "Black Virginians Took Ralph Northam Back. Neither Has Forgotten," by NYT's Astead Herndon in Richmond: "Mr. Northam's arc, from political pariah denounced by nearly every national Democrat to a popular incumbent with support from Black elected officials and even progressive activists, is a complex story of personal growth and political pressure, a testament to how crisis can also provide opportunity. However, it would not have been possible without the Black Virginians who rallied around him even as they stared down immense pressure to help force him from office … "The result is a reshaped Virginia. … [ ALONZO] JONES, the mayor of Danville, Va., said that the developments were a powerful antidote to a society struggling with concepts like 'cancel culture' and 'wokeness.' Instead of derision, Mr. Northam and the Black leaders who supported him showed the power of redemption, humility and growth. … Mr. Northam … bluntly admitted that the 2019 scandal changed the political priorities of his administration. He also said that it sent him on an ongoing personal journey of re-educating himself about race, racism and whiteness." | | A message from Amazon: Amazon starting wage: $15
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Amazon has seen the impact $15 can make. Learn more. | | | TRUMP CRACKS DOWN ON MISINFORMATION — "'Full of s---': Candidates warned not to fake Trump endorsement," by Alex Isenstadt: "[C]andidates up and down the ballot are portraying themselves as staunch Trump loyalists, showing off photos they've taken with the former president, divulging private conversations they've had with him and, in [ LYNDA] BLANCHARD'S case, brandishing Trump-signed nomination papers. But some candidates are taking it too far — and Trump and his team are aggressively letting them know it. … "The episodes illustrate the colliding pressures confronting the former president and the Republican office-seekers desperate for his support. While candidates are calculating that they need voters to see them as Trump-approved, the former president is protective of his political brand and recognizes that his much-coveted endorsement — and the performance of the candidates who get it — is one of his primary means of maintaining relevance." ANOTHER ONE — "Novavax Covid-19 vaccine highly effective in late-stage trial, long-awaited results show," Stat: "The vaccine was 90% protective against laboratory-confirmed symptomatic infection. The trial results put this vaccine in the same efficacy ballpark as the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. "But where those companies are currently producing and selling hundreds of millions of doses and are in the process of seeking full licensure from the Food and Drug Administration, Novavax still has steps it must take before it can apply for the regulatory authorizations it will need … It also said it will file with several drug regulators, including the FDA, in the third quarter and expects to be able to produce 100 million doses a month by the end of that quarter, upping production to 150 million per month by the end of the year." TWO KINDS OF SICKNESS — "Anti-vax groups rack up victories against Covid-19 push," by Lauren Gardner: "The partisan divide over the country's pandemic response has reinvigorated the anti-vaccine movement nationwide, with mostly Republican lawmakers in nearly 40 states backing bills to restrict Covid-19 vaccine mandates or vaccine passports. … "Anti-vaccine fervor that was previously concentrated in specific communities — like Orthodox Jews in New Jersey and New York, and Somali immigrants in Minnesota — spread more widely … The wave of opposition to Covid-19 shots, and efforts to curb public-health authorities more generally, have alarmed health experts. They say the new legislation will make it harder to quell the pandemic and prevent future outbreaks of Covid-19 and other illnesses." BATWOMAN RETURNS — "China's 'Bat Woman,' at the Center of a Pandemic Storm, Speaks Out," by NYT's Amy Qin and Chris Buckley: "SHI ZHENGLI, a top virologist, said in a rare interview that speculation about her lab in Wuhan was baseless. But China's habitual secrecy makes her claims hard to validate." | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | SWAPPING OUT VINEGAR FOR HONEY — "U.S. Fight Against Chinese 5G Efforts Shifts From Threats to Incentives," by WSJ's Stu Woo and Drew Hinshaw: "U.S. foreign-affairs agencies are developing workshops and a handbook that would help policy makers in places like Central and Eastern Europe, and in developing countries elsewhere, to build next-generation 5G cellular networks that don't use equipment from Huawei Technologies Co. and China's ZTE Corp. "U.S. officials say they also plan to offer training to foreign politicians, regulators and academics overseeing the rollout of 5G networks in their respective countries in coming months and years. Leading the initiative is the Commerce Department's Commercial Law Development Program." PULLOUT FALLOUT — "CENTCOM Head Says US Will Not Support Afghan Forces with Airstrikes After Troop Withdrawal," by Voice of America's Carla Babb: "[C]ounterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan will be limited to instances when attack plans have been discovered to strike the U.S. homeland or the homelands of our allies, according to the top U.S. commander in the Middle East. … "The general's comments appear to refute a report by the New York Times that said the Pentagon is considering seeking authorization to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan security forces if Kabul or another major city is in danger of falling to the Taliban." — BUT, BUT, BUT: "NATO commits to training Afghan forces after U.S. withdrawal," by Lara Seligman: "The announcement ends speculation over what will happen to the NATO training mission in Afghanistan once U.S. and NATO forces leave the country by September." NEW KHASHOGGI DETAILS — "Saudi assassins picked up illicit drugs in Cairo to kill Khashoggi," by Yahoo's Michael Isikoff: "What the drugs were — and who provided them in the middle of the night at Cairo's airport — remains a mystery. But the previously undisclosed Cairo connection points for the first time to the possible existence of Egyptian accomplices in [JAMAL] KHASHOGGI'S death. "It also provides compelling new evidence of what the Saudi government had long denied: that the hit team, dispatched by Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, or MBS, intended to kill the journalist before the plane ever took off from Riyadh and well before Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul later that day." WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kristen Welker, NBC News chief White House correspondent, and John Hughes welcomed Margot Lane Welker Hughes early Saturday morning, with the help of a surrogate. She came in 8 lbs, 6 oz. 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